Paula Jones Triples Settlement Demand Clinton Unlikely To Agree To Pay Accuser $2 Million
Paula Corbin Jones, who is suing President Clinton in a sexual harassment case, has nearly tripled her demand to about $2 million to settle the case without a trial, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday.
The new settlement amount, up from the original $700,000 damage figure contained in her 1994 lawsuit, is so “outrageous” as to make settlement of the case before trial even more remote, according to a source close to Clinton. It increases the likelihood that the case will go to trial.
Jones is also demanding a full apology from the president for his alleged sexual approach during her tenure as an Arkansas state employee in May 1991, while Clinton was governor. Clinton insists the incident never occurred.
Attorneys in the case declined comment Sunday because of a gag order imposed by U.S. District Judge Susan Webber Wright. First word of the new settlement offer was reported by CBS News.
Last August, Jones parted company with her previous Washington lawyers after rejecting their suggestion that she should settle the case out of court for $700,000, without an apology from Clinton. Jones said at the time that her dispute “was not about money” and an apology was more important.
One legal expert not involved in the matter said Jones’ new demand may purposely be “off the charts” to guarantee that the lawsuit goes to trial, as scheduled, on May 27 in Little Rock, Ark.
“It may also be a tactical move to show the White House and the public that Paula means business,” this expert said.
Some of Clinton’s advisers have said that even without an apology, any large settlement would be objectionable because it would leave the public with the impression that he was guilty.
Jones has said in court papers that a state trooper summoned her to Clinton’s hotel suite during an Arkansas trade show where she was working. She alleges the governor exposed himself and asked her to perform a sex act, which she says she refused.
xxxx PUBLIC VIEW Some of Clinton’s advisers have said that even without an apology, any large settlement would be objectionable because it would leave the public with the impression that he was guilty.